After seeing Zhou Jingze off, Xu Sui thought about many things. She was a passive person, and she didn’t dare to be with him again.

Because Xu Sui had been unable to sleep all night, when she woke up the next day her face was pale and her eyes had dark circles. She had to put on light makeup to go to work.

All morning, Xu Sui felt drowsy while seeing patients. Finally, she went to the restroom to splash cold water on her face to wake herself up.

At noon, Zhao Shu’er pulled Xu Sui to eat together in the hospital cafeteria. Xu Sui got seaweed and egg soup, braised pork ribs, stir-fried pork with green peppers, and seasonal vegetables.

As Xu Sui lowered her head to drink soup, she noticed Zhao Shu’er kept staring at her phone, forgetting to eat.

She smiled and reminded her: “What are you looking at? Is there a boyfriend living in your phone?”

Zhao Shu’er came back to her senses and laughed: “No! I’ve recently become obsessed with a model. I keep looking at her daily outfits. She’s so commanding, I’m totally smitten. She’s so beautiful and has such a cool personality. I look at her social media every day – she’s almost turned me gay.”

“Who is it?” Xu Sui lowered her head and bit into a green bean.

“Here, look at her. Isn’t she especially beautiful? She’s a model who’s very popular abroad now. She seems to be returning to develop her career domestically. She has many fans in China too, very popular.”

Xu Sui casually looked up, and when she saw the woman on the phone screen clearly, her gaze froze.

Like triggering some kind of switch, with a “buzz,” the memories she had deliberately sealed away in her mind were opened.

Xu Sui suddenly remembered that unusually stifling summer, the scent of pine forest perfume in the air.

And Ye Saining tearing open a yogurt lid while confidently saying: “We’re not together because he said he doesn’t want to lose me.”

The scene shifted to Xu Sui clearly knowing the answer but still asking masochistically: “Did you used to have feelings for her?”

Zhou Jingze nodded and said: “Yes.”

Zhao Shu’er was still enthusiastically telling Xu Sui about her new idol:

“Her camera presence is truly amazing. She’s beautiful and whatever she wears starts trends. You remember when FG’s new collection launched, right? Just because she wore it to the Paris runway, that entire themed series sold out. And as soon as she returned to China, she got three luxury brand endorsements and five product endorsements. Investing in Ye Saining really pays off.”

Xu Sui’s ears started ringing with a buzzing sound, unable to hear anything else. She mechanically picked at her white rice, feeling it had no taste, and after half a bowl, couldn’t eat anymore.

During the noon break, Xu Sui stayed in her office, took out her phone, and searched online for Ye Saining. Several related links popped up on the webpage.

“Model Ye Saining returns triumphantly from Paris, intends to develop domestically.”

“Ye Saining’s first act upon returning to China: registering on Weibo, gaining five million followers overnight.”

“Ye Saining’s mysterious romance.”

Compared to before, Ye Saining was even more successful – she had grown from a somewhat famous model into a star with a brilliant career.

Xu Sui held her phone and clicked on a video interview about Ye Saining. In the footage, a reporter asked: “Do you have intentions to develop your career domestically?”

“Yes.”

“What made you decide to return to China?”

Flashbulbs focused on Ye Saining, clicking away. She didn’t blink at all, tilted her head thoughtfully and said:

“On one hand, it’s needed for career development. Domestic fashion culture has been steadily progressing.”

As Ye Saining spoke, her tone shifted and she smiled: “Moreover, family and friends have always been in China. I’ve always wanted to return, plus there are some important matters to handle.”

Xu Sui closed the video before finishing the interview. She lowered her eyelashes thinking – wasn’t this good? After all, she had pushed Zhou Jingze away and made things clear with him.

Whatever Ye Saining did was none of her business now.

In the afternoon while Xu Sui was seeing patients, she suddenly received a text from an unknown number:

【Xu Sui? I’m Ye Saining. It took some effort to get your number. I wonder if you have time – there are some things I’d like to chat with you about.】

Xu Sui’s eyelashes trembled. She typed in the dialog box: I have nothing to discuss with you, and Zhou Jingze isn’t with me either.

After typing, she deleted it, dragged Ye Saining’s message into drafts, and didn’t reply at all.

Soon after, Bai Yushi called, saying: “Xu Sui, you left an earring in my car the other day. I happen to be handling business nearby. Can I return it to you after you get off work?”

“Sure, thank you, Professor.” Xu Sui said.

At 6 o’clock, Xu Sui got off work on time. As she took off her white coat and checked her phone, she saw a WeChat message Zhou Jingze had sent an hour ago:

【What do you want to eat? I’ll pick you up after work.】

Seeing this message made Xu Sui feel powerless, like everything she did was punching cotton – it couldn’t shake him at all.

With many things, she knew she was indecisive, clinging to warmth, not decisive at all. But rather than being anxious about gains and losses because of Ye Saining, Xu Sui preferred to take a different path.

She hated competition.

Absolutely hated it.

Her eyelids trembled as she sent Zhou Jingze a message, word by word: 【After thinking for a long time, I realized we’re not suitable for each other. Don’t contact me anymore. Really, I have someone I like now.】

The message showed as sent after spinning for a few seconds. After a long time, Zhou Jingze never sent another message.

Xu Sui didn’t check her phone again, just stuffed it in her pocket, grabbed her bag and walked out of the hospital.

Downstairs, Xu Sui pushed through the revolving glass doors of the outpatient building and walked straight out. A bone-chilling wind hit her, and she instinctively buried her face in her scarf, searching for gloves in her bag when she heard people nearby exclaim.

A little girl tugged at an adult’s sleeve, her voice excited: “Mommy, it’s snowing!”

Xu Sui’s movements paused. Looking up, it was indeed the first snow.

This year’s first snow came quite late, so passersby were excited to see it, calling out “It’s snowing! It’s snowing!”

The snowflakes were small, like down feathers, like transparent crystals. Xu Sui couldn’t help extending her hand to catch them. The snowflakes fell into her palm and instantly melted, with water dripping through her fingers.

Xu Sui waited at the entrance for Bai Yushi, who appeared not far away holding an umbrella.

When Bai Yushi reached Xu Sui, he brushed snow particles off his collar and smiled: “As soon as I come to Jingbei on business, I encounter snow.”

“After all, Hong Kong doesn’t snow, so you came at the right time.” Xu Sui said.

“Is that so?” Bai Yushi replied.

Xu Sui’s words reminded him of someone – a romantic little girl, lively and charming, with dark eyes full of determination:

“Nathan Road will snow someday!”

But it was fleeting.

Bai Yushi changed the subject and chatted with Xu Sui at the entrance for a few sentences. They talked and laughed about interesting things they’d encountered. Xu Sui listened attentively, occasionally smiling, and when she turned her head, her peripheral vision inadvertently caught a familiar figure.

When Zhou Jingze wanted to do something, he would see it through even if the path was pitch black.

The only way she could make him give up was to crush his self-respect once again.

She looked back at Bai Yushi, raised her eyelashes, her voice somewhat hoarse: “Professor Bai, didn’t you say at the exhibition that I could ask for your help if needed? Right now I…”

Zhou Jingze looked at the scene before him thinking, if his life could be written as an autobiography, the most spectacular part would surely belong to this day.

All afternoon today, Zhou Jingze had stayed at Dongzhao International Aviation Company.

He sat in a spacious, empty conference room with no one receiving him. Only little Zhang from reception, who usually received small trinkets Zhou Jingze brought back from various countries and who he always treated well, proactively came in to pour him water.

Zhou Jingze sat there watching water droplets cling to the disposable cup walls until the steaming hot water slowly cooled.

His former employer, who had once valued him so much, now treated him with equal coldness.

Zhou Jingze sat there waiting for over two hours before the investigation department personnel and his former direct supervisor finally arrived.

“Jingze, sorry to keep you waiting. Your matter has been delayed for quite some time, but now we have results.” The supervisor twirled his pen tip, with a contract under his elbow.

Zhou Jingze sat up straighter, his tone calm: “No problem, please proceed.”

“After investigation by the company’s specially authorized investigation department, regarding international flight CA7340 from Toronto to Jingbei that you piloted, you showed contempt for organizational rules and discipline, while also violating pilot and captain regulations, nearly causing passenger casualties. Due to the severe reputational damage you caused to Dongzhao International Aviation, the company officially terminated Captain Zhou Jingze’s employment on November 20, 2020, with permanent disqualification from re-employment. We will send internal company emails and notify the industry of this result.”

“Considering your past hard work and efforts, the company will not pursue economic compensation from you.”

The leader read the company’s decision without daring to look at Zhou Jingze.

After finishing, the air fell into dead silence.

Years of dedication easily erased with one sentence, and they even pinned charges on him.

He had nothing to say.

Every former colleague and leader present understood Zhou Jingze as a person – frivolous and proud, but he simply had real skills in the sky.

Employment termination and industry blacklisting were devastating blows.

Zhou Jingze’s flying career might end here.

Despite having a bright future, before age thirty, this pride of heaven fell from grace, the star of arrogance crashed down.

Just when everyone expected Zhou Jingze to explode or make a scene, he tugged at the corner of his mouth and raised his eyelids asking:

“Are you finished?”

The leader thought this was the calm before the storm and felt momentarily panicked: “Fin… finished.”

“Then fine, I have other matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave.”

Zhou Jingze stood up, his expression unmoved, as if this were an inconsequential matter.

His back was straight and broad, as if his head had never been lowered.

Walking to the conference room door, Zhou Jingze remembered something and turned back, his dark eyes quietly surveying this conference room.

He had come to this conference room countless times, received awards large and small here, and been criticized by leaders alongside colleagues.

He looked at the small paper airplane among the aircraft models beside the conference board. That was from his first flight after joining the company, shouldering passengers’ lives and safety, successfully landing.

So he had folded a small paper airplane from an in-flight promotional pamphlet and placed it there.

To remind himself not to forget his original intention.

Zhou Jingze stood with hands in pockets, habitually curving his lips, looking at colleagues he’d worked and struggled with, enunciating clearly with a smile:

“Everyone, see you in the world.”

After saying this, Zhou Jingze left. When he reached the corridor, the leader chased after him.

The leader handed Zhou Jingze a cigarette and sighed: “I believe you wouldn’t do such things, but the voice recorder and surveillance both prove you made wrong decisions. As for co-pilot Li Haoning, he insists he followed your orders on the plane.”

“Fine, no problem. Thank you for past care and tolerance, Old Zhang.” Zhou Jingze took the cigarette with a roguish smile.

When Zhou Jingze walked out of the Dongzhao International Aviation building, the warm arc light of sunset happened to rest on a corner of the raised five-star red flag atop the high-rise.

Towering buildings rise from flat ground – the four gilt characters “Dongzhao Aviation” appeared prominently before his eyes.

The rightmost dot of the “aviation” character was formed by a small golden airplane pattern, still gleaming brilliantly under the setting sun.

Zhou Jingze stood quietly there, looking at it.

Each glance was one less.

This building carried all his past pain and glory.

From today onward, everything would return to zero.

“Know that youthful ambitions reached the clouds, once promised to be first-rate in the world.”

Zhou Jingze suddenly remembered this verse for some reason.

Finally, Zhou Jingze withdrew his gaze, still holding the cigarette the leader had just given him.

He smiled gracefully, casually tucked it behind his ear, put both hands in his pockets, and left Dongzhao. The sunlight stretched Zhou Jingze’s shadow very long until the last ray of light disappeared.

Zhou Jingze walked alone in the cold wind, which blew so hard he couldn’t keep his eyes open. He took out his phone and sent Xu Sui a text asking what she wanted to eat.

Halfway through his walk, Zhou Jingze encountered someone selling roasted chestnuts on the street. He went over and bought some.

At the next intersection, the sunset had completely disappeared, night had fallen, streetlights lit up, and the aroma of baked cream bread wafted from the roadside.

Zhou Jingze looked up to see a bakery at the intersection with a long queue – they specialized in pineapple buns.

He pocketed the roasted chestnuts and joined the queue.

Loving someone means that even when your mood has hit rock bottom, you’re still willing to buy their favorite pineapple buns and roasted chestnuts.

Zhou Jingze arrived at the hospital where Xu Sui worked with complex emotions. He suddenly felt tired and planned to talk to her about past events and hold her.

On his way to find Xu Sui, there was a faint glimmer of hope burning in his heart, but when he saw the scene before him, that tiny light was completely extinguished.

Bai Yushi leaned down, intimately putting an earring on Xu Sui. After finishing, his thumb pressed against her forehead, gently hooking her hair that had fallen forward behind her ear.

So intimately touching foreheads and arranging her hair weren’t his exclusive gestures after all.

Zhou Jingze squinted at the two people, their eyes reflecting each other’s smiles. Cold snowflakes hit his eyelids as he stood motionless. The snow fell harder and harder, bone-chilling and icy cold. He felt his fingers freezing numb, too cold to speak a word.

Afraid the roasted chestnuts would get cold, Zhou Jingze had kept them in his pocket, along with freshly baked pineapple buns at their optimal eating time.

It seemed she didn’t need them anymore.

After reaching this conclusion, Zhou Jingze threw both items into a nearby trash can, then turned and left. His shoulders were dyed dark by snow water, and then his black silhouette disappeared into the ice and snow.

Wind blew, making the plastic bag containing the two items in the trash can rustle with a “whoosh,” then they were forgotten there.